


Two Strange Moons

by Chargefire



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Multiple System, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Vampires, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-04-22 15:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14311428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chargefire/pseuds/Chargefire
Summary: After a teleport that turns into a failed Daedric summoning, the Warrior of Light finds themself in a new land. But Skyrim holds more dangers than just the weather and the wildlife; vampires hunt through the night, a civil war is underway, and dragons have returned.Finding the one at the center of it all - the Dragonborn - is proving to be no easy task, either...





	1. Morthal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is not finished, but I figured I'd post it, and see what kind of feedback I get. I've made up a bit of my own lore regarding the main character's name: the "-'na" suffix means that the character is 1) a Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te and 2) nonbinary*. The naming conventions for nonbinary Keepers are the same as female Keepers, except with a "-'na" on the end (there won't be any long names like Tah'na'sae or something like that).
> 
> For this chapter, there are spoilers for the 30-50 Dark Knight quests and mentions of canonical character death before 3.3 (along with spoilers for the rest of the Heavensward patches) on the FFXIV side, and spoilers for the Laid to Rest quest on the Skyrim side.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: minor character death and violence.

For most people, teleporting to aetherytes regularly was far too costly - both in gil and anima - to be done. Adventurers tended to have often outrageous sums of gil on them, and enough anima to teleport more than twice or thrice a week. For Tah'na Dueneh, Warrior of Light, teleporting was incredibly easy, and had been so ever since they began to explore Hydaelyn.

Tah'na had never had any problems with teleporting before, but as they began to dissolve into the aetherial sea to return to Gridania, something tugged on them, pulling them away. Tah'na fought it, wondering if this was some sort of Garlean trap, or if they had just messed up teleporting for the first time, but the pull was, in the end, overpowering.

Tah'na felt squeezed, tumbling over and over until they finally opened their eyes to a snowy landscape.

“I’ve done it! Yes!” a Hyur crowed, shrouded in dark robes that made his pale skin look sickly. “I’ve- I’ve summoned a Khajiit? Where is the powerful warrior? This ritual-”

Tah'na grimaced as the Hyur continued on, putting a hand to their forehead in response to their sudden headache.

_Getting dismissed out of a wintry castle that perched precariously over water. Memories of fellow mages learning, and studying, and the Hyur, Hriskon, jealously sabotaging experiments that weren’t his. Gifted at calling on voidsent and placing them under his control. Days spent poring over tomes in a library. A green person - comparable in height to a Hyur but otherwise nothing like one - snapping at the man. Called before a Duskwight Elezen of some importance. Fleeing with meager belongings for nearly killing some kind of beastperson similar in appearance to a Miqo’te, if more furry._

This wasn’t Eorzea. “Where am I?” Tah'na interrupted, and the Hyur stared in bemusement.

“Don’t come any closer, Daedra!” Hriskon warned, hands raised. “I don’t know why you appeared as a Khajiit, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll show them all at Winterhold when you destroy it and the College.”

“Why?” Tah'na asked, crossing their arms. “What did they do?”

Hriskon huffed, standing straighter in indignation. “They ruined me! The greatest conjurer of this generation! Just because I told a Daedra to rough up another student! It’s not like he _died_.”

Tah'na rolled their eyes. “I’m not going to help you attack a school.” As they looked around, stepping closer to a stone table in curiosity, the Hyur raised a glowing hand, casting a spell on them.

“Hriskon… of course I’ll help,” they said slowly. What had they been worried about before? Hriskon was a friend. Their best friend.

“Not sure why you know my name, but otherwise good,” Hriskon muttered, and placed a hand on their shoulder, guiding them back to the circle they had appeared in. “Just wait here for a moment.”

“Very well,” they sighed, disappointed Hriskon wasn’t closer, but following his command. His hand glowed again, and they stumbled as the previous spell sputtered out, making them fall to their knees. This was wrong. They weren’t going to help him. Why were they doing what he said?

They stood back up, drawing their staff and holding it at the ready. “Don’t try to control me again,” they said, tail bristling and ears flat.

“No! You _will_ follow my orders!” he cried, and his hands glowed again. This time, an aetherial tear appeared, followed quickly by large ice-aspected voidsent. “Capture the Khajiit!”

Tah'na swiftcasted Fire 3 and turned their staff over itself, manifesting Enochian and increasing their spell power. The lumbering voidsent interrupted their next cast, but Tah'na stepped back, blasting the voidsent with a weak Scathe.

They weathered the blows of the ice voidsent, casting Fire IV on it once they had finished preparing the spell. The voidsent began melting from the void-enhanced fire spell almost immediately, forming a puddle near their feet. Tah'na raised an eyebrow; this Hyur wasn’t going to defeat them if he was using such weak voidsent.

“Is that all?” they asked, and Hriskon swallowed, stepping backward.

“Don’t- don’t touch me!” he shouted.

“You disgust me,” they said, returning their scepter to its sheath on their back and drawing a deadly looking greatsword. “I’ll make this quick.”

He shrieked, correctly interpreting that as a death threat, and wildly grasped out, trying to summon another voidsent.

Tah'na didn’t let him. They leaped, sword plunging down as they crossed the distance between them almost immediately, driving their sword through the Hyur’s chest.

He gurgled, hands falling to his side, and Tah'na drew their sword from his chest as he gasped his last breath.

They turned to face the spot they had been summoned. Annoyingly enough, they couldn’t feel any of the aetherytes they were attuned to, so they would have to find their way back to Eorzea without teleportation.

This could take awhile.

“Ishgard…?” they murmured, looking around. The snow was reminiscent of Coerthas, but the swamp itself was more like the Black Shroud. It wasn’t that the Black Shroud never got snow, but it was a rare sight there.

There was a stone structure nearby; Tah'na turned to explore it, seeking a refuge from the wind. Tah'na looked around the structure, viewing its holed walls, the empty pedestal in the center. Disappointedly enough, there didn’t seem to be anything of interest around. They sighed and left, looking around.

Wait. Was that a lumber mill in the distance?

There would be people nearby, in that case. Maybe someone could help them. They looked up at the sky as they began to walk toward the mill, and saw something they hadn’t seen in over eight years: two moons.

Please, Hydaelyn. No.

Was this… before the Fall? Before Dalamud broke open? Would they live to see Bahamut descend once more?

They felt a chill upon their neck, and a heavy feeling in their gut at the thought of living through that terror again. No. No, that wasn’t Dalamud, and it wasn’t Menphina, either.

Oh. This… was another world.

It wasn’t so strange a thought; voidsent came from another world, as did the Warriors of Darkness. Maybe they had been a little hasty in killing that mage back there, but they were sure they could get back eventually. The Warriors of Darkness returned. So maybe there was something they had to do here first, before Hydaelyn would return them home.

“Next time give me some warning, Hydaelyn,” they grumbled, ears flattening before straightening back up, but eventually they set back off toward the mill.

There were more buildings beyond the mill, past a bridge. No one was working at the mill; understandable, since most people (with the exception of Keeper of the Moon Miqo’te) weren’t nocturnal. Tah'na looked at the moons (two moons!) again, wishing it was Menphina’s familiar light shining down on them.

They walked through the small town, looking at the wooden homes and shops, at the boats surrounding a body of water, and at an approaching Hyur. They were tall and wearing armor, armed with a short sword. Probably a Highlander, or whatever the local tall Hyurs were called.

“Bit late to be wandering around, isn’t it?” the Hyur commented, torchlight flickering across their pale face.

Tah'na grimaced, but the armored Hyur merely went on their way. A guard? An adventurer? Shrugging, they continued on, ignoring the Hyur’s remark. The chill of the air bit into them, clawing across their cheeks even with the hood up.

As they followed the road, they came to a group gathered in front of a large building. They watched in curiosity at the proceedings: the Hyur here seemed to mistrust whoever this older Hyur was. Interesting.

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, save for the elder woman. “Come closer, child of the moon,” she intoned after everyone save them had left, voice carrying through the night. “I have seen your arrival.”

A little ominous, but… interesting. Tah'na wanted to see where this went.

“Hello,” they greeted. “I’m Tah'na Dueneh.”

“Idgrod Ravencrone, Jarl of Morthal. You’ve come a long ways, haven’t you?”

“It would seem so,” Tah'na agreed.

Idgrod paused, like she was measuring her words before she spoke them. “I have seen your arrival… but not your intentions. Prove yourself and complete a task for me, and I will give you information that may be useful in your quest.”

“What kind of task?” Tah'na asked, finding themself curious, suspicious, and annoyed at her words. Idgrod Ravencrone definitely seemed to have implied she knew Tah'na was from another world, but it was sometimes tiring to have to keep proving themself. They reminded themself that as this was an unknown world to them, no one would know of their deeds, so it was foolish to be annoyed. But what kind of power did Idgrod have, to be able to “see” them like that? Something like the Echo?

“There’s a house that’s been burned down,” Idgrod began. “Used to belong to a man named Hroggar. Both his wife and daughter died in the blaze, and yet the ashes were scarcely cool before he began to see another woman, Alva. Find the truth of this matter: did Hroggar murder his wife and child, or was it merely a terrible accident?”

Tah'na nodded, sickened at the idea Idgrod was presenting, but figured they would be able to get to the truth of the matter, especially if they were to approach Hroggar; if they wanted, they could induce visions of someone’s past with their Echo, but it took a certain mindset and always tired them more than “naturally” occuring visions.

“I’ll find out what happened, Idgrod,” they promised. “But where is the house that burned down?” Probably good to start there.

Idgrod pointed to the left. “Down that way. Best of luck to you.”

Tah'na nodded, and set off the way they had came, gritting their teeth as the wind swept across them once more. Snow fluttered, glittering in a way that meant it was very cold out. Coerthas had taught them that. They continued down the road, spying a misshapen building that they had missed the first time: a burned down house, now covered in snow.

The snow crunched under their boots, loud in the quiet darkness. There was someone here. Tah'na focused, eyes flicking around the sad room, and eventually realized a translucent figure stood by an empty fireplace.

“Hello,” she said as Tah'na took a step forward. “Do you want to play with me?”

A spirit. Oh. “Are you… Hroggar’s daughter?” Tah'na asked, recalling when two spirits had appeared to them. Like always, sorrow rose at the thought of Haurchefant and Ysayle, but they pushed those feelings down. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in memories.

“Yeah, he’s my dad. I’m playing a game with someone else right now. Do you want to join?” she asked.

“Did…” your father set the fire?

No. They couldn’t ask that. “Do you know what happened to you?”

“I got all hot and then I got so cold. Will you play with me and the other? Now is a good time because she doesn’t like the day. We’re going to play hide and seek!”

She seemed a little insistent. Well… all right.

“Sure,” they said.

She disappeared with a giggle, and Tah’na sighed, looking around. The wind had died down a bit, so the night wasn’t as cold. After five minutes of fruitless searching, they found a coffin with a pale specter floating nearby. Beside her was a Hyur with long dark hair. She turned, mouth wide in a sneer that showed off her fangs. Was she half-Hyur, half-Miqo’te?

With a yell, the woman threw herself forward, hand outstretched. Tah’na backed up, knowing it was some kind of attack, but was unable to dodge it. A red stream connected the two, and Tah’na felt a slight, almost imperceptible drain on their aether.

Tah’na sneered, and lifted themself in the air slightly; blue flames appeared and disappeared around them, and then they used their off hand to cast Abyssal Drain on the woman: a ball of light centered on her spat out red spikes and an unsettling wail as the cast finished. Not the best single target spell, but Tah’na was feeling petty. Look, my drain is better than yours.

Tah’na watched in satisfaction as she collapsed, but that soon turned to confusion as the edges of the woman began to crumble, her fingers turning to dust. Another Hyur jogged up to them, eyes wide in anger. “You killed her! You killed Laelette!” They turned to face him, grimacing - could they talk him down? - but he crumpled a moment later, a hand forming into a fist as he fell on his knees.

“She was a vampire,” he said, forlorn, tears forming in his eyes. “Only vampires turn to dust when they die. Look, she’s ashes already.”

“I…” Tah’na began, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t pay any attention to them, lost in his own suffering as he was. Such a display of emotion made Tah’na uncomfortable, and they looked away, eyes locking onto Hroggar’s daughter suddenly.

“Laelette was told to burn Mommy and me, but she didn’t want to. Laelette thought she could keep me and take me, but she can’t. I’m all burned up,” she said.

The ghost paused, and Tah’na felt colder than they already were. How could anyone do this to a child?

“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now,” she whispered, and disappeared in the next moment. Tah’na took a step back, unsettled.

“She’s dead,” the Hyur moaned from behind them. “Laelette is dead.”

Tah’na pressed a hand to their mouth, turning away from the coffin and the Hyur. The hollow feeling wouldn’t go away, but they needed to take stock of the situation. The ghost had disappeared (moved on?), but said that Laelette was told to burn her and her mother. That meant Laelette had been taking orders from someone.

They turned back to face the Hyur. “Who was Laelette close to? Was there anyone she would speak to often?” they asked.

“I… Before she disappeared, she spent a lot of her time with Alva. She hated Alva before,” he explained, standing up and gripping his torch tighter. The light flickered across his face, shadowing it deeply.

Maybe Alva was giving out orders. Wasn’t Alva Hroggar’s new wife? “Where can I find Alva?” Tah’na asked, and the Hyur blinked.

“Why? Even if she was maybe a bit quick to get together with a new widower, she’s done nothing wrong,” he said, frowning. A little defensive of Alva. Hm.

“Well, I guess you’re right,” Tah’na said, shrugging. They turned and began walking to the Jarl’s house.

“Wait! Where are you going?” he shouted after them. “You aren’t going after Alva, are you?”

They rolled their eyes. Of course they were, but not right away. They would after they talked to the Jarl. They didn’t know where Alva lived, after all.

The Hyur eventually stopped yelling, and Tah’na left him behind. He wouldn’t be of any more help - not that he had been much help in the first place.

The snow crunched under their boots as they walked back to the Jarl’s house. When they reached the door, they quickly opened it, knocking their feet lightly on the stairs to shake off some of the snow.

“You’ve returned,” Jarl Idgrod intoned, slouching in her chair and looking like she hadn’t moved at all in the time Tah’na had been gone. Perhaps she hadn’t.

“Yes. I’ve information. Laelette was a... vampire, and she burned the house down on orders from someone else. I think it’s Alva, but I’m not sure,” Tah’na said. They still weren’t entirely sure what a vampire _was_.

“Well, that’s hearsay. I can’t order a woman dead or in jail on the word of a stranger,” the Jarl said harshly, and Tah’na narrowed their eyes.

After a moment, they said: “I guess that makes sense. I just thought you would want some information.” They paused, crossing their arms. “What do you want me to do now?” _Figures. We’ll be stuck with the shite no one wants to do every single time, won’t we?_

“I’m not convinced. Find concrete proof of Alva’s wrongdoing,” Idgrod said.

“Well, then, I’ll need to have the key to Alva’s house. Unless you want me to break in,” Tah’na sighed.

“The only house key I have is my own, but that’s not a bad idea. Though, if you do destroy anything, I will be taking it out of your reward. And try not to kill anyone,” she said, peering at Tah’na intensely.

 _Try not to kill anyone, she says,_ Fray snorted. _That’s what we do best._

_It’s not. I like botany more than I like killing._

_You’re not a very good botanist, though._

_Shut up._

They smiled faintly at the banter before turning to the door. Wait.

“Where’s Alva’s house?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the "na" comes from Menphina; nonbinary people in Eorzea are called Menphinan, or children of Menphina (or in the case of Seekers, Azeyman/children of Azeyma).
> 
> Thank you for reading this far! I don't know when I'll update this again, but I do have most of the plot figured out... it's just a matter of writing it. Take care! o/


	2. Movarth's Lair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence, minor character death, minor mention of sex, food.
> 
> Spoilers for the rest of Skyrim's "Laid to Rest" quest.

They approached Alva’s house, deciding they would knock on the door before trying to break in (wouldn’t want to get the wrong one, after all). A few sharp raps and several seconds later, a pale Hyur was sticking his face out.

“What do you want, Khajiit?” he asked.

“Is this Alva’s house?” Tah’na asked, trying to peer behind the man. “Are you Hroggar?”

“Yes. Why do you want to know?” The Hyur frowned. “If you’re trying to sell me skooma, forget it; I’m not interested, especially not at this time of night. I was just about to go to bed!” he complained.

Tah’na wondered what “skooma” was, but ignored it, since it didn’t really seem to have anything to do with their conversation. “Could I talk with you inside? I have news about Alva.” They did their best to look sorrowful.

“N-no… What kind of news?” he asked. He opened the door and peered around before waving them in quickly. The house was small, but warm. A large bed sat in the corner of the room, and a dim fire crackled in the hearth. “She isn’t…”

“Let me close the door, please. It’s very cold out,” they said, shutting the door. They took a moment to gather their aether and reached out with it, turning around and then connecting and attuning to Hroggar’s aether (which was surprisingly small; normally babies would have these levels). A headache pierced through them, and painfully sharp scenes appeared in their vision.

_A beautiful and pale Hyur beckoning Hroggar to bed. Waking the next morning, returning to his home, and realizing his wife and child had died in a fire some hours before. Later, collapsing in the previous Hyur’s arms, tears falling onto her shoulder. Being led to the basement-_

Their echo-induced-vision sputtered out, leaving their actual vision an empty white before colors and shapes returned.

“Eh? What’s the matter? You’re not ill, are you?” Hroggar asked, crossing his arms.

Tah’na grabbed their staff, aether swirling around it. Hroggar sputtered, raising his fists, but their swiftcasted Sleep spell was faster, and he began to doze lightly. They began to search around the room, and realized there was another door. The basement?

They opened it, peering down the dim stairs. The sleep spell would be wearing off soon, but using Freeze to bind him in place might kill Hroggar. They scowled, and hurried down the steps.

Barely anything was in the basement but an open coffin. Why would anyone have a coffin in their basement? They approached it. A small journal sat on the inside, and Tah’na picked it up, flipping it open.

What was this? They couldn’t read it. It looked like Eorzean, but… the letters were all wrong.

“Damned cat! Get out of my house!” a man shouted at them from the top of the stairs, and Tah’na whirled, startled.

“What does this say?” they pressed, opening the journal at random and spinning it around so Hroggar could see. They walked closer, and Hroggar frowned, furrowing his brows.

“Get out or I’ll call the guards!” he threatened, but peered to take a closer look. “Let me see that. “I’ve told Laelette to kill them all…” Is this some sick joke? Do you think you’re funny, Khajiit? Planting this journal in Alva’s bed?” He raised his fists again, and Tah’na dodged back, grabbing their staff again and casting Sleep. Too bad Swiftcast wasn’t ready yet.

He punched them, but the blow was weak, and the sleep spell went off. He dozed once more.

Tah’na rushed past, careful to not touch him, and nearly ran out of the house. After closing the door, they began to walk quickly back to Idgrod.

If Alva wrote that, then she was the one who had orchestrated the recent murders. Besides, Hroggar had been genuinely distraught at the news. He hadn’t done it. The wind was blowing hard, casting snow around, and Tah’na shivered, wishing for warmer weather.

The walk back to the Jarl couldn’t have taken more than a few minutes, but Tah’na was glad for the sight of the house in front of them all the same.

They entered, ignoring the Hyur off to the side, and presented the journal to Idgrod without saying anything. They turned to the fire, scooting as close as they could without overheating.

“This is…?”

“Alva’s journal, I think,” Tah’na answered, and heard the Jarl begin to flip through the pages. A few minutes later, Tah’na turned back around, waiting for Idgrod to finish.

“Troubling news,” she said, frowning. “To think that we had such a viper hidden among us…”

“What did the journal say?” Tah’na asked.

“You couldn’t read it? I thought most adventurers were literate,” the Hyur from beside the door commented.

Tah’na ignored him.

“Well, Alva may not have done the deed herself, but she certainly _is_ guilty. I’ll notify the guards to keep a lookout for her.” Idgrod looked directly at Tah’na. “My thanks, adventurer, for your help. And you did it without property damage or assaulting anyone, so your reward will be in full.”

She got up from her chair, moving slowly to the other room. Tah’na wasn’t sure if Idgrod wanted them to follow, so they just waited instead.

Idgrod returned with a smallish bag of coins. “200 gold pieces for your work. But there’s more to be done, if you’re willing.” Her gaze turned heavy as she handed the bag over to Tah’na.

They placed the bag inside of their knapsack strapped to their belt, and examined Idgrod. “What kind of work?”

“Alva’s journal mentioned Movarth… For whatever reason, a vampire wrote a book about how they turned a “Movarth Piquine”. If Movarth has decided to call the Hjaalmarch his home, that is grave news indeed.”

She paused, waiting for Tah’na to say something.

 _"And you want him gone, is that it?"_ Fray asked, after a moment. Idgrod smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile.

_Don’t talk for me._

_I live here too. You’ll have to deal with my comments._

“There’s a suspicious cave nearby that may hold this Movarth. Go. Find him. Kill him,” she said, slouching back down in her chair. “Adrgvar,” she addressed the Hyur who had spoken before, “Go find Hafjerd and then take this adventurer to where they need to go. Guard or help out; do whichever you please.”

“Right now? I mean- Of course. Right away, my Jarl,” he said, not sounding very pleased. He motioned for Tah’na to follow him, but as he opened the door, Hroggar stumbled in, blinking in surprise.

“You!” he shouted, pointing at Tah’na.

“Me?” they parroted, folding their arms and settling their face into their best “unnervingly blank” expression (as described by Alisaie). He faltered, but turned to Idgrod.

“Jarl Idgrod, this- this adventurer _broke into_ my house, and stole Alva’s journal!”

“Did they?” she asked mildly.

“He let me in,” Tah’na offered after a moment.

“Then that matter is settled, since they are obviously no longer in your house. As for Alva’s journal… It seems that Alva is a vampire, and not only did she turn Laelette, but also ordered her to kill your wife and child.” Hroggar reeled, as if Idgrod had thrown a punch instead of words.

“No- not Alva,” he denied.

Idgrod sighed, shaking her head. “You must face the facts, Hroggar. I’m sorry for your loss. But Alva is no longer welcome in this town.”

“Come on,” Adrgvar mumbled, slinking out of the Jarl’s house and waving at another guard who was just outside the door. “Hafjerd, we have a job.”

“Eh? What kind of job?” the woman asked, examining Tah’na as they followed Adrgvar. “Does it involve more than staring at snow?”

“Yes. We’re to hunt down Movarth,” he replied, moving forward toward the bridge that Tah’na had crossed when they first entered the town.

“Wait, I know that name…” the other guard muttered, sounding excited. “Isn’t that some vampire? Finally, a chance to test my skills against something other than a wolf!”

“It’s dangerous, Hafjerd,” Adrgvar said. “I’d rather be inside, guarding the Jarl. But she gave an order, and if Movarth is here in Morthal, that means our vampire problem is only going to get worse.”

“What vampire problem?”

“Laelette was a vampire. So is Alva,” he answered. The trio began to make their way past the lumber mill, following a lonely road. At this time of night, there were no other people on it.

“You’re joking!”

“No, I killed her,” Tah’na said. “She turned into dust or something.”

“... Aye, that’s a vampire,” Hafjerd said after a moment. She didn’t offer any other comment.

They walked in silence for several minutes before Adrgvar spoke up. “How did you know Laelette was a vampire?”

 _We didn’t._ Hush.

“Mmm, I didn’t get a chance to tell before she attacked me,” Tah’na said, and Hafjerd shook her head.

“Damn vampires,” she muttered. After a moment, she pointed at something ahead. “Wait… did those rocks always have a bone sticking out of them?”

“By the gods… that’s disgusting,” Adrgvar whispered, sounding like he was about to throw up.

“Is that the cave?” Tah’na asked, pointing to a cave several hundred yalms ahead.

“Oh, the haunted cave! They say it’s full of ghosts,” Hafjerd whispered, sounding delighted.

“No, it’s full of _vampires_ ,” he complained.

Tah’na turned to the two. “Stay outside, and make sure no vampires make it past me,” they ordered. The two, despite being guards, didn’t seem like they would be much use in a fight. No point in bringing them along and playing babysitter.

“Right,” Adrgvar said, sounding relieved.

Hafjerd scoffed, but nodded after a moment. “You have two hours before we come in after you, adventurer. Don’t die.”

Despite themself, Tah’na found themself smiling wide in anticipation of a fight. “Don’t worry,” they said, and walked toward and into the cave. The two guards followed, stopping at the opening.

The cave was dimly lit, and some old-looking wooden stairs led down into the cave. They stepped forward, reaching for their staff as they saw an overly large spider scramble forward, fangs glistening.

Tah’na stepped back before swinging their arms out to the side, using their Manawall technique to create a magical barrier so the giant spider wouldn’t bite them. They wouldn’t admit it to anyone but themself and Fray, but Tah’na was terrified of spiders, especially spiders that had decided to grow to the size of a small chocobo.

A few void-enhanced fire spells later, and the large spider fell to the ground. Tah’na wrinkled their nose at the smell, but ignored it and kept going down into the cave.

Compared to other caves Tah’na had been, this one wasn’t very impressive. You could at least see in Skalla, or in Lesalia. Hells, even Cutter’s Cry had been more interesting.

A few vampires attacked them as Tah’na made their way through the cave, but they were easily killed.

 _That’s tacky_ , Fray commented upon seeing an extremely blood-stained table.

_I agree._

Eventually, they made their way into a dimly lit room.

“Ah, new blood,” a Hyur with glowing red eyes said, standing up from his chair. “Why don’t you sit down?”

Sit down…? Tah’na staggered, thoughts suddenly in a haze.

 _No_ , Fray snarled, and shoved Tah’na back. They pulled their greatsword out, gripping it and swinging it forward, purple and blue aether arcing with the attack. The Hyur jumped back, but not before losing a hand.

The Hyur sneered. His hand didn’t bleed like a wound normally would; instead, something like dust flaked away from his wrist. “I’ll enjoy killing you,” he spat.

“ _Just try it_ ,” Fray taunted, and attacked once more. The Hyur tried to fend them off with ice spells, but the magic couldn’t pierce their skin. Fray kicked out at his leg, causing him to fall, and then decapitated the Hyur with a quick slice. He toppled to the ground, dust falling in slow spirals.

Tah’na stumbled back into awareness, taking over from Fray. “Thanks,” they said, and began to examine the room. Wine, blood stains, an old bed… It wasn’t much.

They began to make their way out of the cave.

* * *

“I killed all the vampires in there,” Tah’na told the two guards as they exited the cave.

“Maybe I should check it out to make sure,” Hafjerd said, and Tah’na shrugged.

“Do as you like,” they said, and began to walk back to Morthal.

“They’re covered in vampire dust! What other proof do you need, Hafjerd? You’re just hoping you’ll find a vampire they missed!” Ardvgar whispered to Hafjerd.

“Well… yeah,” she admitted.

Tah’na ignored the guards. The two continued to talk all the way back to Morthal, but Tah’na didn’t join in; they were ruminating over their new situation and how they would return home. They missed their friends, and hoped their stay in this new world (whatever it was called) was as short as possible. They also hoped that the problem with losing all of the aetheryte attunements was not permanent.

Morthal came back into view. The snow had stilled while they were in the cave, and the two moons cast dim light down. They entered the Jarl’s house.

“The vampires are dead,” Tah’na announced.

“And so they are. You have Morthal’s thanks, Dueneh,” the Jarl said, and handed over another bag of coins.

Tah’na took it. “Thanks,” they said, placing it in their pouch, and the Jarl nodded.

“You have proved yourself, and so you have earned this information: find the Dragonborn, and help her in her quest.”

“Who’s that?” Tah’na asked, crossing their arms. Another Coerthas, huh. Dragons and ice.

“How can you not know about the Dragonborn?” Hafjerd asked, voice tinged with disapproval.

“They’re a Khajiit, Hafjerd,” Adrgvar pointed out.

“I didn’t grow up here,” they said, crossing their arms and narrowing their eyes at Hafjerd.

“The Dragonborn is a mortal with a dragon’s soul. Current news places her in Solitude,” the Jarl said, explaining practically nothing.

Tah’na shook their head slightly, grimacing. How were they supposed to find this dragon-person if they were in the middle of nowhere?

_I think it’s the name of a city._

_Oh. Yeah, that makes sense._

“Where is Solitude?” they asked.

Adrgvar shook his head. “You can’t mean to go at this hour of night!”

Tah’na turned to stare at the guard. “Why not?”

“Because it’s dark out, so you can’t see well, which means you’ll be easy prey for wolves, or bears, or even other vampires!” he said, exasperated.

Fray laughed at the thought of being easy prey for anyone.

“I suppose I could wait until the morning. I’ll need supplies, anyroad,” Tah’na conceded.

“Anyroad?” Adrgvar asked, voice tilted high in bemusement. They ignored him.

“ _A description of this Dragonborn might help, as well_ ,” Fray said with Tah’na’s mouth.

“The Dragonborn is a Nord woman, right?” Hafjerd asked hopefully.

“No. She is a young Altmer,” Jarl Idgrod said. “I believe she is traveling with a Nord woman, though. Dueneh, there’s an inn down the road; look for the sign with a half-filled circle on it. I’m going to bed. Good night.” She rose from her chair and made her way to another room.

Tah’na nodded, lifting a hand in farewell, and turned for the door. They pulled their hood up. Down to the left, near the river, Tah’na could see a building with a sign on it. As they approached, the details became clearer; the sign had letters in that not-quite Eorzean script on it. “-oo--i-- I--” was all they could make out (assuming that “O”s and “I”s were the same). Perhaps the last part was “Inn”? If so, that meant “N”s here were written upside down. Bizarre.

As they pushed open the door, a Hyur with dark skin and dark hair looked up from a counter. The room was warm, and lit with torches and a fireplace. Someone with the height of a Hyur but the green skin of a Sea Wolf Roegadyn was badly plucking at a lute.

Reminding themself not to stare, they approached the Hyur at the counter as she began to speak: “Welcome to the Moorside Inn. Nice to finally have a customer.”

Tah’na glanced back at the person playing the lute, idly deciding to write down the name of the inn in Eorzean and copy the letters from the sign to compare later, now that they had the name of the inn.

“Lurbuk doesn’t count,” she said sourly. “Anyway, I’m Jonna. What are you looking for? A room? Food?”

“I’d like a room for the night. Some food would be nice, too,” Tah’na told her, taking down her hood.

Joanna raised an eyebrow at their ears. “Huh. I haven’t seen a Khajiit in a long time. Morthal barely has any visitors as is, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen any of the caravans around.”

People kept calling them “Khajiit”; perhaps Khajiit were a people similar to Miqo’te? Tah’na wouldn’t ask, though, since that would likely be quite strange to the Hyur. Were these Khajiit connected to the caravans in some way? Another question to find out on their own.

They nodded, and began to get out the bag that Idgrod had given them earlier. “How much for a room?”

“Ten septims. For food, we’ve got some bread, apples, goat cheese, soup, salmon, and other meats. Anything in that list?

“Bread, two apples, and salmon,” Tah’na said. Some months ago, they would have asked for a drink. Now, though, they didn’t trust anything they hadn’t made themself. Water was sadly tasteless and boring, but necessary.

“Great. Want anything to drink?” she asked, and Tah’na shook their head.

“Alright. For the room, it’ll be ten septims, and for the food…” she counted out on her fingers. “Twelve septims, so twenty two septims in total.”

Tah’na realized they had no idea how the money system in Morthal worked; in Eorzea, they probably would have used two one-gil coins and two ten-gil coins for a sum of twenty two gil, but the numbers on the coins were completely different from Eorzean numbers.

A little embarrassed, they grabbed several coins and placed them on the counter. “I’m new and don’t know how to count your coins. Sorry.”

Jonna blinked, surprised. “Oh, do they not use septims over in Elsweyr? Don’t worry. This coin,” she began, pointing to a coin with a female Hyur on it, “is worth five septims. That’s Saint Alessia. The next one,” she said, pointing to a coin with a bearded Hyur on it, “is Tiber Septim, and his coins are worth one septim.” There were four coins with Saint Alessia’s face on them on the counter, so Tah’na fished out two more Tiber Septims.

“Thanks,” they said. Elsweyr? Was that where Khajiit lived?

“No problem. Pleasure doing business with you. Your room is the one closest to the counter. Feel free to sit down. I’ll have your food right out,” Jonna told them, and Tah’na did sit down. The dinner was simple, and their room at least had a bed ( _What kind of an inn has rooms with no doors? Must have been getting sick of all the couples._ ), though in other respects it was lacking.

They had planned to leave early in the morning, once the sun had rose, and walk to Solitude, but when Tah’na asked Jonna about the best path there, she had replied: “There’s a cart that leaves every morning. Lot quicker than walking. Less dangerous, too.”

“Thanks for the info.” They might check the wilderness out later, but their main goal was to find the Dragonborn… and figure out what would happen after that. But Tah’na wasn’t the best at planning out that far.

Time passed slowly in the inn. Tah’na wrote down what had happened in their journal, and then let Fray write in their journal. “ _We’re in a different world. Today we killed someone for kidnapping us, for attacking us, and for being a vampire and attacking us. I miss Sidurgu and Rielle. Nothing more to say._ ” Tah’na’s journal had been a bit longer, and more about what they felt that day, since the minutiae of detailed memories often escaped them, but strong emotions stuck with them (even if the reason for anger in the morning had been forgotten in the evening).

They copied the inn’s sign and wrote down what it would be in Eorzean next to it. With more examples, they could start to map out more sounds.

Eventually, the sun crested over glittering snow.

The cart was easy enough to find, though Tah’na and Fray had been surprised by the lack of chocobos; even after spending time in the Far East, it was still shocking to see a horse.

“Where to?” a pale Hyur with a black goatee asked, shifting slightly in his seat.

“Solitude,” Tah’na answered, shivering a little in the cold.

“Twenty septims, then,” the driver said. “I’m Markus. Nice to meet you.”

Tah’na reached into their bag, searching for enough Saint Alessia coins to give to him. Four coins later, they hopped in the back of the cart. “I’m Tah’na Dueneh.”

“Solitude’s a nice enough city,” Markus began, and Tah’na ignored him, letting his words wash into meaningless noise. They laid down on the side of the cart, curling up a little with their hands under their chin.

“ _I’m taking a nap. Wake u- me when we get there_ ,” Fray said, annoyed that Tah’na was just letting this man prattle at them.

“Oh- uh, sure thing,” Markus said, and fell silent before urging the horse onward.

They fell asleep easily enough, though they woke up intermittently as the cart passed by other people or was jostled by a bump in the road.

Eventually, the cart lurched to a stop, waking them fully from their light doze.

“Hey, Tahna, we’re here,” Markus said, and Tah’na sat up, cracking their neck and back.

Up a hill, a stone fortress on a cliff stood. Solitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, now that Tah'na and Fray are in Solitude/Haafingar, they're going to start shaking things up. More quests normally done by the Dragonborn might be getting snatched up by them! 
> 
> I think a lot about fantasy money, actually. I bet there are gil coins up to a thousand and then they start using those metal Allagan pieces. the Saint Alessia coin does not exist in canon Elder Scrolls but there is absolutely no way people are lugging around thousands of single septim coins in my opinion.
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you liked this chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts via a comment! o/


	3. Solitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence, minor character death, misgendering, self-harm, and minor mentions of food and eating.
> 
> Spoilers for Meridia's quest and the beginning of Dawnguard.

“Welcome to Solitude, traveler,” the guard at the door said. “What’s your business here?” His tone was bland, almost annoyed.

“I’m an adventurer looking for work,” Tah’na said, and the guard narrowed his eyes at them.

“Don’t go making trouble, Khajiit,” he warned, but opened the gate anyway.

_I’m starting to think I should hide my ears and tail,_ Tah’na thought in disgust.

_Sidurgu once said the same thing to me,_ Fray reminisced. _Well, horns instead of ears._

The view of Solitude proper interrupted the conversation. Wooden shops lined the main street, and there was a stone stage of some sort on the right. Tah’na moved forward, scanning the surroundings as the gate closed behind them.

They sighed, wishing Wary Moon were here; it would be nice to have a friend nearby, and moreover, Wary Moon’s Echo-granted clairvoyance was a great boon when it came to questing. Were she here, she could have simply focused on the Dragonborn to find her.

But Wary Moon _wasn’t_ here, so Tah’na and Fray would have to find the Dragonborn like normal people.

As their feet brought them past the largely-illegible signs, a voice called out to them: “Are you heading to the Blue Palace? You might want to rethink that outfit.”

Tah’na whirled, looking around. Their eyes eventually spotted an Elezen woman with golden skin. She was dressed in fine blue clothes, a choice Tah’na approved of. Blue was a good look for anyone.

“The Blue Palace?” Tah’na asked.

She sighed. “If you have to ask then you’re not headed there, I take it? Shame. I need someone who isn’t me and who isn’t known to Jarl Elisif to model some clothes I’ve made.”

“I…” Tah’na began, unsure. “If it’s in blue?” They didn’t have any compunctions to modeling clothes, per say, if it was similar to what the Elezen was wearing (and would cover most of her skin).

“Blue?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Purple would look better on you; that blue you’re wearing is ugly and washes out your eyes.”

“It’s armor, and I like the color blue,” Tah’na said flatly.

“And yet purple would still look better. So? Will you? The Blue Palace is up ahead.”

“Ah… I mean. I’m looking for the Dragonborn. I heard she was in Solitude,” Tah’na hesitated. It would be better to find her quickly.

“I believe the Dragonborn _did_ go to the Blue Palace - refused to wear my clothes, too, even though the ones she had on were awful - but there’s no way the guards would let you in if you’re looking like some common adventurer, and there is no way they’ll let you in with two weapons, never mind that monstrosity of a weapon on your back.”

Tah’na frowned. _Odenta Kai_ was a perfectly fine weapon.

“Well, if you’re willing to store my armor and weapons - _and I will be very displeased if any of it is missing,_ ” Fray interjected, “I’d be willing to wear the clothes in front of, um… the Jarl,” Tah’na finished. Jarl E-something? Ellie? Alif? Ellis?

“Very well. Come into Radiant Raiment and I’ll bring you the clothes,” the Elezen told them, and walked into a building nearby. It was in the same style as the other buildings around (wooden top and stone walls), but the sign outside had two spools of thread in blue and purple etched into it.

Tah’na followed, eyes adjusting to the dimmer lighting. Another Elezen with a similar golden skin tone stood behind a counter, looking tremendously bored. “Oh, a customer? What a delight,” she said sourly.

“Endarie, hold your tongue. This adventurer is doing me a favor,” the first Elezen warned.

“Oh? The modeling business you spoke of? I doubt this Khajiit can pull it off, but you’re welcome to try, Taarie,” Endarie responded.

“What did I just say?” Taarie said in annoyance. She turned to Tah’na. “I’m very sorry about my dear sister. Sometimes she just doesn’t know when to shut her mouth.”

Tah’na stood a little awkwardly, uncertain of how to proceed.

“Come with me to the back, and I’ll bring out some clothes I believe would fit you very well,” Taarie said, looking Tah’na up and down. She strode to the back of the store, and Tah’na followed after a moment, trying to not meet Endarie’s eyes.

Taarie searched among some hanging clothes. Though Tah’na was no weaver, they could tell they were all of very fine quality. She presented Tah’na with a purple gown, holding it up level with their body to gauge how well it might fit. “Try this on. I’ll be right back. I’ve no interest in seeing what you look like naked.” She left after placing the gown on a table nearby.

Tah’na rolled their eyes, but began to take off their clothes. Boots first. The leggings were somewhat more difficult to take off, but that was usual. Removing the shoulder guard. Finally, the long blue top. They placed all of it but the boots on top of a dresser, and placed the boots next to it. There wasn’t a stand for a staff or sword, so Tah’na placed both carefully on a table, making sure neither would roll off.

_That gown has no defenses. You should have glamoured it over your armor,_ Fray said, sounding annoyed and worried.

_Definitely not. I wouldn’t be able to glamour it back. The items I used are all back in my apartment in Eorzea,_ Tah’na argued. _Yes, tactically it makes sense, but it’s not like I’ll be unarmed. I have a small thaumaturgic rod in my bag._

_Fine. But if you get run through by some overzealous guard, I’m taking over for at least a month._

Tah’na rolled their eyes, and finished slipping the gown on. It was a little different from clothing back in Eorzea, but nothing they couldn’t handle. They walked back to the front, and Taarie rushed up to them.

“That’s _much_ better. Now you can enter the Blue Palace. Make sure to ask Jarl Elisif if she likes what you’re wearing. If she does, say it’s made by Radiant Raiment. If not, don’t mention my name at all. In fact, pretend you bought it back in Elsweyr.”

Elsewhere? An unusual name.

“Very well. I’ll need directions, then,” Tah’na said, resisting the urge to cross their arms.

“You can hardly miss it. Follow the road down and make your way to the grandest looking building - not the most imposing, because that’s Castle Dour. If you must, I’m sure you can ask the guards for directions. Good luck… what is your name anyway?” Taarie asked, brushing some non-existent dirt off of Tah’na’s shoulder.

“Tah’na Dueneh.”

“I’ve never heard of a Khajiit with a name like that before. Did you make it up yourself? It’s not very good, if you did,” Endarie interjected.

“Quiet,” Taarie said, sounding annoyed.

Tah’na gave Endarie a bored look, and exited the building, raising their hand in farewell. They looked around, spotting the tops of an ornate and blue building. That way, then.

The crowds of Solitude thinned as Tah’na approached; the people in the area near the palace all wore similarly fine clothes, and there were far more guards than before. Eventually, after perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes of walking, they came to the front of the palace.

“Halt, Khajiit. What is your business here?” a masked guard asked, hand dropping to their sword.

“I want to show off these clothes to Jarl Elisif for Taarie of Radiant Raiment,” Tah’na said, unconcerned at the threat. One mere Hyur with a shoddy sword was hardly imposing.

“Hmm. I guess you can go on in, then. No funny business, though,” the guard warned, and Tah’na wondered at him not even searching them for hidden weapons. Even now, as a Warrior of Light, Tah’na was searched for weapons before Ul’dah gatherings, especially if Sultana Nanamo was there.

Well, Tah’na certainly wasn’t going to suggest that he do so, though they might bring it up to the Jarl. Maybe.

The inside of the palace itself looked quite nice. The flowers were a lovely blue, and Tah’na liked the coziness of the seats near the front. Stairs curved up to another level, and they hesitated a moment before walking up them.

It was a little strange to be around all the opulence and not see any Lalafells or Elezens, but Tah’na didn’t let that show on their face.

“Halt. State your business,” a scruffy looking Hyur with pale skin and red hair said. Tah’na examined the plate armor he was wearing. It looked sturdy enough. Didn’t have too many spikes, so he didn’t think he was in danger of being eaten by dragons.

“I’m here-” Tah’na paused. ‘To ask the Jarl’s opinion on my outfit’? Laughable, though true.

“Well? Spit it out.”

“Taarie of Radiant Raiment wants me to show off this outfit and ask the Jarl if she likes it, I guess,” Tah’na said after a moment.

“Pfh,” the Hyur said, grimacing. “Clothes. Bah. Come closer, then. I’m sure Jarl Elisif will like it.”

He allowed Tah’na to step closer to the woman sitting upright on a throne. Several other pale Hyurs were in the room, but Tah’na focused on the area between Jarl Elisif’s eyes, to give the impression they were actually making eye contact.

“Hello! It’s very nice to meet you. What did you wish to talk to me about?” She was young, Tah’na realized; maybe younger than themself.

“Two things. First, what is your opinion on my outfit?” They raised their arms slightly, turning to allow Elisif a complete view.

“Oh, my. It’s lovely. Did you buy it from somewhere nearby?” she asked.

“Yes, from Radiant Raiment,” Tah’na answered, letting their arms fall back down.

“I’ll place an order there, then. And what is the second thing?”

Tah’na again resisted the urge to fold their arms. “I heard the Dragonborn was here? I need to talk to her.”

“Eh? For what reason? The Dragonborn is doing important business for Solitude at the moment,” another Hyur with pale skin and red hair (related to the armored man nearby?) asked.

“I need her help,” Tah’na said. ‘I’m from another world’ might not sit well with the nobles here, so Fray lied, _“I need help getting a family heirloom back. It’s in a dangerous location, and I can’t get it myself.”_

_We’re family heirlooms now, huh?_ Tah’na teased.

_Well, I thought they might actually be interested in inquiring after a kidnapping,_ Fray thought back.

“Well, I’m sure you could ask another adventurer around for help, but the Dragonborn went out to Dragon Bridge a couple hours ago, if you really want to reach her,” the Jarl answered.

“Elisif!” the Hyur who had spoken up hissed, sounding upset. He moved in closer, whispering to her. “If this Khajiit is a Tha- a spy-”

“Oh, Falk, I’m sure she isn’t. She seems nice and just wants some help,” Elisif argued. Tah’na could hear them both, thanks to their Miqo’te heritage. Falk sighed and moved away.

Tah’na waited a moment. “Where is Dragon Bridge, by the way?”

“Dragon Bridge? Ah, that’s to the west of Solitude,” Falk answered. He thought it over for a moment. “I believe it’s a couple hours walk following the main road.”

“Thank you,” Tah’na replied, inclining their head, and began to walk back to Radiant Raiment.

* * *

They opened the door to the clothing shop. Taarie looked up. “What happened? Did she like the dress?” Taarie demanded, rushing over to stand close.

“Yes. She said she would place an order soon,” Tah’na answered, and Taarie smiled widely.

“Thank you very much, dear Tah’na. Your ugly armor and weapons are still in the back. You may keep the clothes you’re wearing now. Don’t run off after you change, though; I need to pay you.”

“Very well,” Tah’na said, rolling their eyes, and went into the back room to change.

After changing back into their armour and placing their weapons on their back, Tah’na walked back to the front of the store. They opted to not take the dress with them.

Taarie handed Tah’na a single coin. On one was an unfamiliar Hyur, and on the other was the same symbol that was on all the other coins. “Fifty septims for your work. Would you like to buy anything?” Taarie asked.

Tah’na shook their head and placed the coin in their bag. “No, thank you. I need to be going now. Take care.”

“Alright. Goodbye! Make sure to tell all your friends about Radiant Raiment!” Taarie said as they left the shop. They closed the door, turned to the gates they had entered, and headed back out of the city.

* * *

That Hyur had been right; it did take around two hours to walk to Dragon Bridge. Not the longest they had walked, but it did make them wish they had their chocobo.

Beside being a little tired, they were also quite hungry, and no matter how much water they drank from their water flask, they still felt thirsty. A cold, maybe?

As they entered the town proper, they looked around. It was very small and rustic looking, and due to their inability to read the script used here, they would have to ask for directions to an inn. Annoying.

They did their best to stop scowling and seem friendly. “Excuse me,” they began as they approached a guard. “Is there an inn or any other place to eat here?”

The guard blinked, and began to answer, yawning partway through. “Ah, yes, there is. Right over there is the inn,” she said, pointing to a building nearby.

“Thank you,” Tah’na replied, and walked into the inn. It was much warmer inside, and Tah’na relaxed slightly.

“Hello! Are you looking for food or drink? Or a room?” a pale Hyur called from behind a counter. The inn was remarkably similar to the one in Morthal.

“Food and drink, please,” Tah’na answered her, sitting down at the counter.

A few minutes and several septims later, Tah’na began to eat. The food was nothing special, but it was food.

After finishing it, Tah’na started asking around about the Dragonborn.

“Last I heard, she was in Solitude, talking to the Jarl,” the innkeeper said, shrugging.

“She killed a dragon attacking Whiterun several months back!” a guard enthusiastically told them.

“She went to High Hrothgar, right? The Greybeards yelled “Dovahkiin” so loud it made everything shake!” a local boy said.

_Useless,_ Fray thought. _I suppose we could continue to ask around, but I’d rather not._

_Let’s just explore. There’s a statue, I think. Looks like it has wings. I want to get a closer look,_ Tah’na thought.

_I doubt the Dragonborn is there,_ Fray thought.

_Who knows? It is unlikely, yes, but even if we don’t find her, we will still have seen an interesting statue,_ Tah’na argued.

_You and your penchant for seeing the sights,_ Fray sighed.

Tah’na rolled their eyes, and began to climb the trail toward the statue.  

The cold bit into them, and a few times they nearly fell from the uneven footing. Finally, after an hour, Tah’na reached the statue.

_Think it’s larger than the statues in Ishgard?_ Fray asked.

_No idea._

They rounded the corner, passing by a stone door, and walked up to the statue. They had to crane their neck back to see all of it. The statue was made of a dark stone, and its subject was someone with wings. The statue’s arms were held in front of its face, as if it was holding some invisible object, though nothing was there. Near the statue’s feet were two very small people holding hands; the two statues were so small (neither came up to the main statue’s knees) that the main statue looked huge in comparison.

Tah’na touched the cold stone of one of the smaller statues, running a finger over-

A cold, feminine voice interrupted them.

**A new supplicant approaches. Listen. Hear me and obey. A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness that you will destroy. But first, you must restore to me my Beacon. I shall guide you unto it. Find it and return here. And great shall be your reward.**

_Did… did you hear that, Fray?_

_I did._

Before they could talk any further, Tah’na saw a series of images: Solitude from up high. Turning toward a cold marsh: Morthal. Farther east still, until at the base of a mountain. Through a cave. Blurry, purple fire that muddied the vision. An image of a wooden chest. And in the chest, an off-white almost-round object.

**Return my Beacon. Cleanse the darkness in my temple. Once done, I will teleport you to the Dragonborn, child of Hydaelyn.**

“Who are you?” Tah’na asked, reeling from the images. They could still see them crisply, unlike most of their often forgotten or cloudy memories. The vision itself had been quite unlike an Echo-given vision, which Tah’na found disorienting (though the lack of a headache was refreshing). And most disturbingly, they knew exactly how far away from the Beacon they were. Its location was a presence that Tah’na could sense.

**I am Meridia. Prince of Life. Lady of Infinite Energies. I do not expect you to understand my motives, mortal. I expect you to fulfill them.**

Having said that, the presence retreated, and Tah’na realized this “Meridia” would no longer answer any questions.

_Should we find the item?_ Tah’na asked.

_I vote no,_ Fray answered. _I see no aetheryte nearby. Most likely it is lying to us._

_I think… we should,_ a soft voice replied.

_Finally woken up, have we?_ Fray asked, though their tone wasn’t harsh.

_We ought to help people whenever we can,_ Myste offered.

Tah’na thought it over. What else was in that cave? Those purple flames were hiding something.

_It’ll be an adventure. So… yes!_ Tah’na thought.

_Ugh. Fine_ , Fray thought.

_Good luck_ , Myste thought, and faded from their shared consciousness.

* * *

Going down the mountain was easier than climbing up it. Dragon Bridge came into view. Several Hyurs in uniforms (but not the guard uniforms of before) hurried around. Tah’na stared in bemusement.

They quickly found a nearby carriage, and paid for a trip to Morthal. Annoyingly, it took 50 septims, which Tah’na was sure had not been the price to Solitude. The trip took a couple of boring hours. The driver wasn’t very chatty, which Tah’na liked. They had no interest in talking with a complete stranger they would likely never see again.

Morthal itself was just as dreary in the daylight, though a little bit warmer. They headed to the inn to sleep and buy some supplies before heading east.

After sleeping for a good six or so hours, they followed the Beacon’s call, trudging through snow for hours as the nearby mountain loomed closer and closer. The sun had long since set.

They huddled near a natural alcove of the mountain, taking the moment to eat some jerky and an apple. The food didn’t taste very good, but it was still edible.

After fifteen or so minutes, they stood up and began to move north, curving around the mountain. It was colder, now that the sun had set, but Tah’na felt energized. Eventually, they came upon snow-covered stone steps.

Ascending those steps took a half hour or so, but eventually the cave entrance came into view. There was a lit brazier outside the small opening.

_Someone’s living in this cave,_ Fray noted.

Tah’na moved forward cautiously, rod drawn. A murmur made them stop and crouch down, listening intently.

“-never give up. I thought we taught them enough of a lesson at their hall,” a man sneered.

“To come in here alone… a fool like all the rest of them,” a woman responded.

“He fought well, though. Jeron and Bresath were no match for him.”

“Ha. Those two deserved what they got. Their arrogance had become insufferable.”

Tah’na was not used to sneaking about, and so their staff scrapped an icy rock as they tried to adjust their footing.

“Another Vigilant?” the man asked, and Tah’na stood up, not seeing much point in hiding and being caught in a terrible tactical position.

They peeked around the pillar of rock, and locked eyes with a Hyur. He was pale, and had deep red eyes. Another pale Hyur stood nearby.

“Some Khajiit adventurer, looks like,” the female Hyur said, reaching for her dagger.

Tah’na swiftcasted Fire 3 at her. With a twirl of their staff, they activated Enochian, and began to cast Fire 4.

The woman barely had time to scream before she was burned into an unnatural pile of ash.

_Vampire!_ Fray snarled.

The other Hyur (another vampire?) paused for a moment, shocked. Tah’na took the time to refocus and try casting Fire 4 again, since the vampire had died before they could complete it.

He brought his right hand forward, and a red stream began to flow from Tah’na to him. Another vampire, then.

He died almost as soon as the spell hit him, and Tah’na stood up, waiting a moment before placing their staff on their back-

A beast of some sort was about to lunge into them, attacking them with a bite like ice-

Tah’na dodged away, turning this time with their greatsword in hands. The beast seemed like a dog of some sort, but it was hungry and gaunt and probably undead. Tah’na aimed, letting the beast come forward, and brought _Odenta Kai_ down in an overhead arc that crushed its front half.

Eugh.

After making sure no other enemies were nearby and wiping their blade clean, Tah’na continued into the cave.

Water fell from the ceiling to gather in a cold stream. Tah’na avoided the droplets by going around the pillar, and walked to the closed gate.

Three bodies were on the ground, and Tah’na looked them over. Two were obviously vampires; they were flaking away. One was not.

They closed their eyes, pushing the sorrow away with a deep breath. “I’m sorry I wasn’t faster,” Tah’na said to him, and moved on to the gate. The metal was cold to the touch, and Tah’na could see nothing that would open it.

_Look around?_ Fray suggested.

Tah’na nodded, and turned right. There. Across the room was steps to an open doorway, and with a shock, they realized the Beacon was inside.

They made their way through it, walking past the open coffin and up the next set of stairs. They opened the wooden chest, grabbing the Beacon.

The same presence as before returned, but but only gave an image of the winged statue and an air of impatience.

_Yes, I’ll return as soon as I explore this cave,_ Tah’na promised. Meridia’s presence grew colder, but withdrew after a moment.

_We’re exploring this cave?_ Fray asked.

_Well… I mean. We’re here, and there’s vampires around. It’s a mystery! Also, we’ll get to kill them,_ Tah’na thought.

_Hm. Tempting. But only if I get to fight,_ Fray thought.

_Of course._

Tah’na placed the Beacon inside their bag before looking around. There was a chain nearby that seemed promising. They touched it, and while it was as cold as expected, there was a slight give that meant Tah’na could pull it, which they did.

There was a mechanical sound following that action. The gate?

They didn’t smile, but they were pleased when they saw the gate was open. The architecture was interesting; it reminded Tah’na somewhat of the Sunken Temple of Qarn, in that both had stone and coffins.

Another fight with vampires and some skeletons soon followed. The next gate was darker in color, and a lever was placed waist-height. They pushed it, suspecting it would open this gate, and were not disappointed.

The following room was mostly bland, but an obviously magical set-up was tucked in a corner on a table. A star with five points, six lit candles, blue glyphs, and a glowing skull.

_Any idea what this is, Fray?_ Tah’na asked.

_No,_ Fray answered.

Tah’na wanted to inspect it more closely, but they didn’t want to be surprised by any other vampires. Maybe on the way back.

They made their way deeper into the cave, and came across two vampires fighting two walking corpses. As one vampire defeated a corpse, Tah’na struck with their greatsword, cleaving through the other vampire. They gave the other corpse no time to react and thrust their greatsword through its cold, half-rotted chest, and dragged upward, pulling their greatsword out only when it finished its ascent of the corpse’s chest. The corpse collapsed, and the remaining vampire turned, ice magic near formed.

Tah’na was faster.

_I’ll have to sharpen this later_ , Tah’na noted, wiping the blade free of cold gore. _Now seems like a good time as any to switch, anyroad,_ they thought to Fray, and the two switched control.

As they went farther into the cave, Fray took out more vampires, undead, and another overgrown spider with heavy magic-enhanced swings of their greatsword, relishing the chance to fight. It was only until after killing two vampires that had just killed some poor Hyur that Fray gave control back to Tah’na.

_Easy. But it was good to stretch my legs, regardless,_ Fray thought.

_I agree… the enemies in here aren’t really putting up much of a fight_ , Tah’na thought. _Maybe I’m just too used to fighting primals._

_That, or these vampires were just weak. Or both._

Tah’na examined the structure in front of them. There were several unlit braziers standing around it, and most temptingly, a button on a pillar in the exact middle.

_Don’t_ , Fray warned.

_I really want to know what happens if I press it_ , Tah’na thought, and Fray sighed as they placed a palm down-

Tah’na snatched their hand back, suddenly knowing they would be injured if they tried to complete that action.

_Nevermind_ , they thought sourly.

They moved past the pillar. A monster carved in stone guarded a closed door, and despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find a way past.

They returned to the menacing button, glaring at it.

_If I press that button, I get hurt,_ Tah’na thought. _Echo stuff._

_And you were going to press it beforehand. Fool,_ Fray thought, though their voice was fond.

_Forgive me for being curious. So… let’s think this over. This button probably opens that door, but how? Is it blood? If I have to injure myself to open that door, I suppose I will, but I’m not going to use my hand to do it._

_Don’t injure yourself to open anything_ , Fray thought wearily.

_If it’s just blood… This might be a little disrespectful, but there’s a newly dead man back over there. I’m gonna shove him onto this button._

_You’re right. That is disrespectful. Go for it,_ Fray thought.

Tah’na walked back to the dead Hyur. “Sorry,” they said to him, grimacing.

They lifted the body, curling their nose in disgust, and walked over to the button. They stood the man up before pushing him onto the button, quickly moving backwards in case there was a trap of some sort near the button itself.

Nothing happened for a moment.

The body then began to sink down onto a spike before the spike retreated. The dead Hyur fell to the floor, and a purple aura began to flicker in the circle line around the pillar. A line to a brazier was lit up, and Tah’na approached it uncertainly. The purple flames didn’t seem to cause any immediate damage. They touched the brazier, ready to pull back if it was another trap, and then blinked in surprise as they realized they could wiggle the brazier around.

One push forward and the brazier lit up. _Oh, a puzzle_.

It was an extremely easy puzzle, actually. Tah’na just had to push the braziers around to where the purple aura was.

After the last brazier lit up in purple flames, the pillar began to rise from the floor. It was on top of a hexagon-shaped pillar, and a few moments after it stopped, a panel slid open.

A woman with dark hair and pale skin stumbled out. A large golden scroll hung from her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My notes for chapter 4, so far:  
> Fray: What. Why was there a body in there. Why is that body moving. Kill it  
> Tah'na: I'm good. Let's talk first  
> Serana: Can you take me to my dad's castle?  
> Fray: No  
> Tah'na: Sure, I love quests  
> Fray: No you don't!!!!!!
> 
> Hopefully the next update will be sooner than uh, four months. I'm back on ADHD medication now, and writing is... so much easier. It's incredible how much I'm getting done. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! As always, I'd love to hear any feedback. Take care! o/


	4. Dimhollow Crypt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: food, eating, minor character death, violence

The woman stumbled, and Tah’na moved to help steady her. However, before they could touch the woman’s arm, she jerked away, standing up fully. She was pale, with brown hair and orange eyes. She looked like a normal Hyur.

“Ugh… where- who sent you here?” she asked after a moment.

Tah’na blinked, still off-balance from finding someone alive in that pillar. “Um, some spirit named Meridia?”

She tensed at their answer. “Why?”

“To get a beacon?” Tah’na answered. “I wasn’t sent to find _you,_  if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Oh. Well. All right, then,” she answered, eyes flickering around. “Um, I’m Serana.”

“I’m Tah’na Dueneh,” they answered. “What were you doing in there? Are you all right?” How long had Serana been in that pillar? A day? A year? Longer? Was there some sort of stasis spell that had been broken when they completed the “puzzle”?

“Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine. Do you know what year it is?”

“Uh, year-” They paused, remember that they were on a different world. “Sorry, I’m not actually sure.”

“Well, can you tell me who Skyrim’s High King is?” Serana asked.

“What?”

She crossed her arms. “Skyrim’s High King? Or High Queen?”

“Uh.” Tah’na stood for a moment, uncertain.

 _“No idea. I don’t keep up with current events. Sorry,”_ Fray interjected after a moment.

_Honestly, Tah._

_I panicked! Sorry. Thanks, though._

“Well, you’re full of useful information, aren’t you?” she asked sarcastically. “Ugh. Well…” she paused, taking a deep breath and focusing on Tah’na for a moment. “Huh,” she said after a couple of seconds.

“What?” Tah’na asked, bewildered.

“Ah, I was just- I hadn’t realized you were a Khajiit,” she explained. “Anyway… is there any way you could help me get back to my family’s home?”

“Of course,” Tah’na answered almost immediately, nodding, and then pausing as they remembered the Beacon inside their bag. _Oh, wait, I can’t take the beacon first, because I’ll get teleported to the Dragonborn. So…_

 _Tah’na, you do_ not _need to help every single person you come across. We’ve been through this,_  Fray thought, aggravated.

Tah’na didn’t respond to Fray. “Um, where is your family’s home, though?”

“Oh, it’s to the west of Solitude, on an island.”

 _That’s not too bad,_ Tah’na mused, and turned toward the way they had entered. However, the steel gate was shut, now, and despite trying to look around for a lever on this side, and trying to reach through the bars to reach the lever on the other side, there was no way back.

Serana examined the dead Hyur, crouching down to look closer. “Who was this guy?” she asked.

“No idea. I think some vampires killed him, though,” Tah’na ventured.

“Why is there a huge hole in his chest? I don’t remember, um, vampires usually killing people that way.” She gently flipped him over, seemingly uncaring of any blood that was getting on her hands, and examined the wound on his back. “Yeah, this chest wound happened after death.”

“Uh, that was, um, me,” Tah’na said, embarrassed; would Serana take offence at how they had treated this dead man? “The puzzle needed blood or something... I thought he would work. I didn’t want to injure myself just to solve it.”

Serana muttered “Puzzle?”, eyebrows creasing as she looked around. “Oh. The scones. Huh,” she said. “Well, I guess we should get out of here. The way you came from is locked? That’s typical,” she sighed, and continued, “The good thing about these kinds of crypts, though, is that there’s generally a way out farther in. I know, sounds stupid, but…”

Tah’na shrugged. “As long as we’re not trapped in here, I don’t mind.” They headed toward the door that had been locked before.

This time, the door near the statue was unlocked, but as they approached, the statue rumbled before exploding, shards of stone blasting everywhere. Tah’na had instinctively raised their Manawall as soon as they heard the rumbling. Stones plinked against the shield for a moment before the dust settled, revealing that the statue was moving to attack.

_Typical._

Tah’na hesitated for a moment as its claws tore futilely across their Manawall. Each swipe against the shield brought rainbow hexagons where the attack hit. They grabbed their rod, deeming attacking a statue with a greatsword to be not the best idea, and began to settle into one of their spell rotations: Swiftcasted Fire III, Enochian, Fire IV, Fire IV, Fire IV…

Serana hadn’t been gaping uselessly as the statue attacked. Her magic was less fire-focused, though she was clearly a thaumaturge of some sort, judging by her use of ice and thunder spells.

Cracks began to form across the animated statue, and its limbs were melting from the heat of Tah’na’s void-enhanced fire attacks. As its claws broke their Manawall, Tah’na focused their aether on Serana’s own and teleported across the stone floor to avoid the tearing blow.

The statue looked around for a moment, confused, and Tah’na switched from repeatedly casting Fire IV to cast Blizzard III once; the three fire-aspected orbs of aether that had been orbiting them fizzled, quickly replaced by three ice-aspected orbs. The ice was less effective on the statue than they hoped, but the next attack from Serana shattered the statue.

“Done and done,” Serana said, smirking, and examined Tah’na’s rod with interest. “How did you manage to enchant your staff to cast two spells?” she asked.

Tah’na stared, uncomprehending for a moment. “What?” they asked. “This is a focus. Otherwise I’ll blow myself up.”

“Huh. I just use my hands. Is your control really that bad?” she asked.

“I’m casting extremely high-tier fire spells that are enhanced with the power of the void,” Tah’na said, frowning at the implication they were a bad mage. “Sure, I can cast Fire I or Fire II without a focus, but if I tried that with Fire III or Fire IV I could set myself on fire by accident.”

“Oh, you’re mixing Destruction and Conjuration? I’ve never been able to combine two spells into one like that. I’m impressed,” she said, which confused Tah’na even more.

“I can barely cast healing spells,” they said after a moment. Though maybe Ichelle would be interested in the thought of casting Physick and Ruin at the same time?

“I never said anything about Restoration,” Serana said, seemingly just as puzzled.

Tah’na mulled it over for a moment. Restoration probably had something to do with healing in this world, then? “Hmm… I suppose the terms I learned are different? Where I grew up, Conjuration means spells focused on healing and spells that are aspected to earth, water, or air.”

“Oh. Huh. Here in Skyrim, Conjuration means summoning creatures from Oblivion,” Serana explained. “So you open a portal to Oblivion every time you cast, uh, Fire IV? Like I said before, that’s pretty impressive, even if you’re just using a fire daedra.”

Daedra… Where had they heard that term before? Probably best not to ask and reveal how much they didn’t know. Was Oblivion the Void? Daedra the Voidsent? It was frustrating, not knowing.

They paused for a moment. The thing to do after receiving a compliment was to return one, right?

“Your ice and thunder spells were also impressive,” they offered. “Ice didn’t seem to have too much of an effect on that statue, but your thunder spell got it in the end. I’ve never seen a thunder spell that concentrated, though; the ones I learned damage enemies over time.”

“What, like poison? No, my lightning spells are one and done. Thanks, though,” she smiled.

They made their way farther into the cave. Eventually, the two reached a stadium of some sort. There were stone seats, and on a platform overlooking the middle, there was a thoroughly dead man slumped on a throne. Its skin was dried out, but even though it seemed old, it wasn't a skeleton.

Tah'na approached the dead body, disgusted at the smell and appearance, but curious about the history behind the small stadium and throne.

The dead body lifted its head, eyes glowing a near-white blue. Their Echo told them that the undead was readying some sort of attack, but they didn't feel like they needed to dodge. Tah'na reached for their staff, eyes narrowing-

“Force… balance, push!” the undead cried, and before Tah'na could react, they were knocked back, flying through the air and landing with a painful thud on the stone floor. The air rushed out of them, and they gasped, disoriented.

Fray swept Tah’na out of focus as they tried to recover, pushing themself up as they regained air. Their hands grasped their greatsword, and they focused, leaping forward to drive their weapon into the undead’s chest. It wheezed, trying to grab the sword and tug it out, but its grip was weak and the sword began to cut through the undead’s skin and tendons. As it abandoned the attempt, other hand lifting a short sword, two spears of ice split out of its head, far above Fray’s own. They twisted their greatsword before surging with dark blue flames and heaving up, sword carving through old bone and flesh like there was nothing there.

As the sword split the rest of its head open, it collapsed, no longer animated.

 _"I appreciate the support,_ ” Fray said to Serana, blue flames licking the dust off of _Odenta Kai_ with barely a thought and a flick of their wrist.

“No problem,” she said after a moment, scrutinizing them. Fray returned their greatsword to their back, examining the surroundings and ignoring Serana.

 _Thanks, Fray,_ Tah’na thought. _Do you want to be in charge for a while, then?_

 _Hm. No. But thanks for the offer,_ they responded, and switched places.

Tah’na was used to such sudden changes in control, and so simply began to move forward. “I think I see the exit,” they said to Serana, and Serana quickly joined them.

“Good. I’ve had enough of this cave for a lifetime,” she said, huffing, and the two stepped out into the colder air outside. She inhaled deeply, a smile forming on her face. “It’s so good to be outside again.”

“I agree… that cave was awful.” Tah’na paused, eyeing the dark, vibrant sky, gaze sweeping across the snow-coated rocks and trees. “I guess… we should head around the mountain? It looks like we came out through the other side,” they said, making a face.

Serana examined the sky. “No, I can guide us north. We’ll keep going until we hit a road or the shore, and then we’ll head west to Solitude.”

Tah’na tilted their head, trying to see what Serana was looking at. “Navigating by the stars?”

“They’re a little different, but not so much I can’t tell which way is north,” she smirked. “Come on. I’ll lead the way.”

The two skirted past whatever camp was nearby, and went north. The air somehow felt a little less biting than yesterday.

They did eventually find a road, but it was going north as well.

“Maybe there'll be a town nearby,” Serana said, and the two continued on.

For Tah'na's part, they felt achy and stiff as they walked. They must have come down with a cold.

The road forked ahead, but to the northeast Tah'na could see what looked to be houses.

“Must be Dawnstar up ahead,” Serana said, pausing for a moment. “We could probably find a boat to take us to Solitude in the morning, if you’re tired or don’t want to walk. It is pretty late.”

“I’m nocturnal,” Tah’na responded, almost automatically, but then considered: did they want to take a boat to Solitude?

No. It would likely be colder on a boat, and they didn’t want to wait around, since they weren’t tired enough to take a nap.

“Ah, let’s keep on walking,” Tah’na suggested. “I’d rather not wait.”

“Sounds good to me,” Serana said, and turned left, to the west.

After a bit of walking, Serana spoke up. “Not that I’m complaining, but why are you helping me? I’m a stranger.”

Tah’na mulled it over, following Serana’s path. Their boots were loud in the near silence of the night, crunching snow as they went. “I enjoy helping people. That’s it,” they settled on. It was true enough. The other part of it (that Tah’na thought Serana was attractive) could be unsaid.

“Fair enough. I’m sure my family will have a reward, though. I mean, if helping isn’t enough of its own reward,” she smirked.

“Well, as long as it doesn’t take too long to get you to your family, I’ll help out,” they said.

“Oh? Do you need to be somewhere?” Serana asked.

“That spirit Meridia seemed quite impatient, but it can wait a couple of days. It’s not a problem,” Tah’na explained.

“You know, Meridia isn’t a spirit. She’s a Daedric Prince. I’m kind of worried you’re talking to Daedric Lords without even knowing what they are,” Serana said, looking back with a grimace.

_Ah, hells. How do I explain this?_

_I’ve got this,_  Fray thought, and began to speak. _"I_ _suppose... there’s no harm in telling you this. I was hit with some sort of spell, recently. I think it was a mind control spell gone wrong. It destroyed a large chunk of my memory. I killed the bastard responsible for it, but it didn’t bring the memories back.”_

Serana turned, stopping for a moment, aghast. “That’s- I’m so sorry that happened to you,” she said.

 _“It is what it is, and it could be worse. I could have lost the memory of how to cast spells. But… I appreciate it,”_ Fray said, crossing their arms.

There was a long silence, and Serana frowned before turning back to the west. “You alright with continuing on?”

 _“Yes,”_ Fray said, rolling their eyes. Serana looked back at them one more time before continuing onward.

Once it became clear she wasn’t going to ask any more questions, Fray pushed Tah’na to the front. Tah’na hadn’t spent the time in the back simply waiting; they had begun to craft lies. Unlike Fray, Tah’na had little skill at creating believable lies on the spot, but Tah’na was a good enough actor that if they made lines beforehand, they could tell lies well enough.

 _What memories did we ‘lose’? We don’t have to lie here; we can just say if we don’t know. Traveling to a different world is far more outlandish than memory loss. However, we probably shouldn’t have said anything about spell nomenclature before; we’ll just have to hope Serana forgets about it. The “well, I’m not sure, but I think it was Elsewhere” excuse isn’t going to work if we meet any Khajiit,_ Tah’na thought, trying to craft a narrative.

 _We can assume they’re like Miqo’te, since people keep mistaking us for one. So Khajiit are similar to cats?_ Fray thought.

 _I’m not a cat,_ came Tah’na’s automatic response. _Even if there’s some evidence of Allagan aetherochemical modifications - which there are, since the six main groups of Spoken can interbreed, while they can’t with beastfolk - I’m- oh, I’m losing my point. The point is that Allagans used the same sort of technology they used for creating chimeras to create Miqo’te, likely using a Hyur-base-_

_Tah’na._

_Oh, sorry,_ they thought, slightly embarrassed at their rambling.

They had been following Serana mostly automatically, and almost ran into her when she stopped suddenly. “Hold on, there’s a big group of people ahead,” she said.

Tah’na followed Serana’s gaze, examining the group of tents. Smoke curled lazily into the night air from an unseen fire pit.

“Soldiers?” Tah’na ventured. The tents certainly _looked_ like what they had seen from the Ala Mhigan Resistance.

“Could be bandits, if this hold’s guards are useless. Let’s be careful and go far around it,” Serana suggested, and veered off the road to the southwest. After about ten minutes or so, they returned to the road.

They came to a shoreline around thirty minutes later. The sky began to lighten behind them. Tah’na peeked back to see the edge of the sun on the horizon, but had to turn away, eyes watering.

“Ugh, the sun is too bright,” they complained.

“Funny. I was about to say the same,” Serana said with a wry smile on her face. “But the good news is that we’re almost to Solitude. We’ll have to find a boat or cross through the swamp, though.”

Tah’na looked at Solitude; from this angle, it’s position on an arch of land seemed rather precarious. They could see large boats docked in the waters below, but it was too far to make out any other details.

Serana pulled a hood over her head, and Tah’na wished their outfit had one, too; the sun was far too bright, today.

Navigating the swamp wasn’t too difficult, though at one point an overgrown blue bug attacked them. Not as bad as huge spiders, but still not the best part of Tah’na’s morning.

It wasn’t until the sun fully rose that they reached the estuary where Solitude’s docks sat; surprisingly enough, a Hyur was rowing a boat across the water to them.

“Who is that?” Tah’na asked, confused. The pale Hyur came further into view, lifting a hand from an oar to wave cheerfully to them.

“Beats me. Maybe he wants to give us a lift?” Serana suggested, crossing her arms.  

“Hey, travelers!” the Hyur yelled as he came into shouting distance. “I can get you to Solitude’s docks for twenty septims!”

Tah’na pulled their coin bag out of their larger traveling pack, sifting through the coins and grabbing two ten-septim coins. Hopefully. If they remembered correctly.

It took the man another minute to finally row onto the shore, and he jumped out of his boat, pushing it into the sand. Tah’na was a little alarmed at first - what about hypothermia? - but relaxed as he stepped out of the water, clearly wearing some sort of waders.

“I have the money for it,” Tah’na said to Serana, who shrugged.

“I mean, I’m not going to _complain_ about not having to travel through more swamp,” she said.

Tah’na huffed, rolling their eyes, and handed over two coins to the Hyur. “Here,” they said.

He examined the coins for a moment before placing them in a bag on the boat. “Hop on in, then,” he said, gesturing to a seat on the wooden boat where the oars didn’t sit.

Tah’na carefully stepped into the boat, noting with slight relief that the seat wasn’t wet. Serana sat next to them, as the boat was small and had only two seats. The man pushed the boat back into the estuary before stepping into the boat himself. He sat down and began to row.

“I’m Roleim,” the Hyur offered, smiling brightly.

“Serana.”

“Tah’na Dueneh.”

“Fancy name. So, what brings you two to Solitude?” he asked.

“Visiting family,” Serana said.

“I’m the adventurer she hired,” Tah’na shrugged.

“Well, you definitely look the part. You a spellsword? No, that’s a greatsword, isn’t it? Looks a little Akaviri.”

Tah’na blinked, unsure of how to respond.

“I… yes? I do use spells sometimes. A sword other times.”

Roleim grinned. “Alright, tell me. What’s the best adventure you’ve had?”

The best adventure? It was hard to choose. There had been so many.

Actually, answering truthfully wouldn’t be wise. “I’m… sure I’ve had a lot,” Tah’na said after a moment, frowning and looking at the bottom of the boat. “I was hit with a spell that destroyed most of my memory, though.”

The man almost paused rowing, frowning deeply. “Divines, truly? No offense to you, Tahna, but there’s little good that comes of magic. To destroy someone’s memories… I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

They grimaced, not meeting his gaze; they felt a little bad for misleading him.

“Magic is just a tool,” Serana cut in after a moment. “I think it’s a little silly to say that all magic is bad. Does your opinion on magic include Restoration?”

Roleim paused before shaking his head, smiling. “Ah, you’ve got me there, eh? Guess I was a little hasty saying that. The world would certainly be a worse place if no one could heal. Divines, even I can heal,” he said, pausing in his rowing to lift a glowing golden hand before canceling the spell and returning to his work. “Still… I won’t take back saying that magic can hurt people,” he said, nodding at Tah’na. He paused talking, and began to maneuver the boat closer to the nearest dock.

With a practiced hand, he tossed a rope attached to the boat around a wooden pole at the end of the dock, pulling them in closer until they could disembark without getting wet. “Well, take care, you two,” he said as they exited the boat. Almost immediately after they touched the dock, he lifted the rope back into his boat and began to row away, perhaps looking for more travelers to ferry.

Tah’na examined the docks, looking at the large wooden ships and small fishing boats. There were mostly pale Hyurs around, though-

They paused, blinking at the sight of a walking, nearly 5 fulm tall lizard, and then shook their head. Not the weirdest thing they had seen.

“I wouldn’t mind visiting Solitude itself for a bit before leaving - I’ve never been,” Serana said as they made their way up the dock.

“I’ve only been there once, as far as I can recall,” Tah’na said. “We should get something to eat while we’re there, too. Do you need some money?”

“N- Well, actually…” Serana admitted. “I don’t have any coins on me.”

Tah’na opened their bag and handed Serana thirty septims in the form of six five-septim coins. “I think I saw an inn, the last time I was there. If it gets much later, though, I’ll need to sleep,” they said with a yawn. “Is that alright?”

“What? Of course. There’s no need to rush over to my family’s castle,” she said.

“Your family has a castle?” Tah’na asked in surprise.

“Well, I’m not sure if they _still_ have it - I don’t know how long I was in that crypt - but, yeah, I used to live in a castle,” she admitted.

They entered the city, stopping by the inn. Tah’na took a moment to try and decipher the sign, though the most they got out of it was “Winhinq Sheevev”, which obviously wasn’t correct.

“Welcome to the Winking Skeever, friends!” a male Hyur said to them from behind a wooden counter. Tah’na noted the actual name and made plans to write it down in their journal, too. The inn was a lot nicer than Morthal’s inn had been.

“Hi,” Tah’na said. “How many rooms do you have available?”

“Three now, maybe four later. Enough for you two,” he said, and Tah’na looked back at Serana.

“Do you want a separate room?” they asked. They had roomed with Wary Moon on more than one occasion if gil was low, but Serana might be uncomfortable sharing a room with a stranger.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Serana said, taking off her hood now that she was inside.

“Then two rooms,” Tah’na told the innkeeper.

“That’s twenty septims. Do you want any food?”

Tah’na asked for clam chowder and an apple, while Serana just asked for an apple (“I’m not that hungry right now.”).

After paying and then eating the surprisingly tasteless food with Serana, Tah’na yawned widely.

“I’m gonna go explore Solitude for an hour or so, and then head back to my room to rest” Serana said. “You seem pretty tired; I just want to get a feel for how long I was stuck in that cave.”

Tah’na nodded; they were quite tired, and still achy and sore. Sleeping would probably help, and Serana was certainly capable enough at defending herself, from what Tah’na had seen of her magic (which did raise the question of why Serana had wanted an escort to her family’s castle, but Tah’na was too tired to think that through at the moment).

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Tah’na said. “We’ll talk later, then. Take care.”

“Take care, Tahna,” Serana said, nodding farewell, and left the inn.

Tah’na entered the cozy room they had been shown, closing and locking the door before undressing to their undergarments and practically flopping onto the bed. They curled onto their side and tried to sleep.

* * *

Some time later, there was a knocking at the door. 

“Tahna? You in here?” Serana asked, and Tah’na blearily sat up, confused. The room was dark, lit only by the candle and moonlight from their window. Their throat hurt, and they felt worse than they did earlier.

“Wht,” they mumbled, rubbing their eyes. “‘m here,” they raised their voice, wincing at how it hurt to talk. “One moment,” they said a little more clearly, nearly tripping in their haste to get dressed and bumping into a wall.

Ow.

“You alright in there?” Serana asked again.

“Yes,” they called back. Eventually they were dressed fully, and unlocked the door, swinging it open.

“You slept a pretty long time… I was starting to get worried. Oh, wow, you don’t look so good,” she said, frowning and crossing her arms.

“Huh?” Tah’na asked, still not fully awake. They yawned, processing the question. “Oh… I don’t feel too good, actually,” they said. Serana, in contrast, looked a lot better than she had this morning. Tah’na hadn’t even noticed, but she was less haggard and the bags underneath her eyes were gone.

“Do you want to wait?” she asked. “I mean, for you to get better?”

Tah’na considered the idea. A flash of anger from the beacon in their bag gave them a sudden, if mild, headache. “Ugh. No, we should hurry up so I can get you to your family’s castle and then drop Meridia’s beacon off,” they said. “I’ll just make sure to drink a lot of water.”

Water they created in their waterskin with ice magic and then unfroze with fire magic, of course. Snow on the ground was dirty, and buying drinks from anyone was just asking to get poisoned or drugged again.

 _Tah, who in the seven hells is going to poison a no-name adventurer?_ Fray asked, exasperated. _There’s a point where paranoia stops being helpful._

 _Maybe someone who hates, uh, Khajiit. Or I could get a drink meant for someone else. I can’t risk it,_ they thought. _Even Atlandai filters every single drink he gets._

 _That’s true, I suppose._ But Fray’s admission was annoyed.

“If you’re sure,” Serana said uncertainly.

Tah’na nodded, managing to shake off most of the dregs of sleep. “I’ll feel better after I eat, I think. How long was I asleep? Did you sleep any?”

“You were seriously out for nearly twelve hours,” Serana said. “I slept my normal eight, but thanks for asking.”

“Huh… I suppose I needed it, then,” they shrugged, and followed Serana down to the main floor of the inn.

Tah’na didn’t feel better after they ate, and the water they drank was only a temporary fix for their aching throat. Serana didn’t eat, claiming she had eaten earlier.

They left Solitude soon after, heading northwest by the roads.

Serana didn’t speak up much during the trip, evidently too lost in thought. Tah’na didn’t mind; they felt wretched.

After several hours, they came to a small fortress near the shore.

“Is that your family’s castle?” Tah’na asked, voice raspy.

“No, we’ll need a boat to get to it,” Serana explained. “I don’t remember this being here, but apparently I was gone longer than I thought.” She didn’t explain how long she had been gone, which just made Tah’na curious. How long? A year? Five years? Ten years? Longer?

They sneaked by the fortress, sticking close enough to the shore that they were walking on sand and avoiding the ocean’s waves.

“There!” Serana pointed, relief in her voice. A small boat had been pushed in the sand, far enough that the waves couldn’t drag it back out to sea.

Tah’na nodded, too exhausted from being sick to help out much, and began to consider that maybe they should have just slept in that inn room for another day. But they were already here, so they might as well continue on. Tah’na gingerly stepped into the boat; unlike the one from this morning, the seats were so cold they might as well have been wet.

Serana pushed the boat out from shore, wading into the water before hoping in. Tah’na sat up a little straighter, alarmed and ready to use a mild fire spell to warm Serana before she got hypothermia, but Serana held up a hand, motioning for Tah’na to pause.

She grabbed the oars and began to row. “So, I, uh, may not have been entirely truthful with you, Tahna.”

“That’s fine,” Tah’na said. They had lied about losing their memories; it wasn’t really like they had any place to judge.

“Well… I. I’ll just say it. I’m a vampire. And so are my family.”

Tah’na froze, eyes narrowing. So she had lured Tah’na onto a boat to kill her?

“I don’t know what you know about vampires, considering you lost your memory, so I’ll tell you. I have to drink blood once every week to survive. It can be animal blood, but that’s not as…” she struggled for a word. “... nutritious, I guess, as human blood. Not every vampire kills indiscriminately. I don’t. I don’t even kill the people I feed off of. And I’m not going to kill you, unless you decide to attack me on this boat. I can’t freeze to death, so don’t try pushing me into the water,” she warned.

So that had been why Serana hadn’t been worried about the water’s temperature.

Tah’na relaxed a little bit, frowning. “Fine.  I was only going to attack you if you attacked me, so… We’re fine, then. But why are you bringing me to your castle full of other vampires?” Tah’na examined Serana more closely. “You don’t even look like a vampire.”

Serana smiled back at them, but it was bitter. She didn’t say anything for a moment. The chop of oars against water filled the air. “I’m a Volkihar vampire, and a Daughter of Coldharbour besides. I won’t ever look like a “vampire”, not even at my most blood-starved. And, uh, as for meeting my family…” She trailed off, and then jolted in surprise as the boat hit land. “Hold on, let’s get off this boat,” she said, and stepped into the water to push the boat onto shore.

Tah’na noted the term “Daughter of Coldharbour” as something to remember, quickly hopping onto the gravely shore. “Why did you bring me here?” they asked, gritting their teeth.

“I’m sorry. I was being selfish. It’s- you’re about to turn into a vampire.”

What?

“What?” Tah’na asked, anger replaced by confusion and worry. They hadn’t even known you _could_ turn into a vampire.

“I knew right when we met. You must have fought a vampire a day before meeting me, right? I could smell how you were nearly halfway to turning.”

“Is there a cure?” Tah’na asked, lips pressed tightly together, arms crossed.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Serana said, looking away. “I’m sorry. I- I should have told you beforehand, but I was scared. My family… let’s just say they’re not the best people.”

Tah’na sighed. Well… it wasn’t like Serana had been the one who had “turned” them. And they could certainly sympathise with family troubles.

“I’m not… I’m not happy you didn’t tell me this until now, but…” Tah’na trailed off. “So how long until I fully turn into a vampire?”

“Um, maybe six or so hours?” Serana guessed. “That’s also why you’re sick, by the way.”

They felt like screaming, but took their anger and despair and exhaled it out, pushing it away. “Well. Let’s go meet your family, Serana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it didn't take me three months this time! 
> 
> This chapter was originally going to cover finishing up Meridia's quest, but it got long, so I decided to end it sooner. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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